Finally
by Rule12H8r
Summary: Ziva brings up a subject from the past that she really just needs to get off her chest. My first fanfic, be gentle. Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Sitting in the break room eating her lunch, Ziva looked across the table at her partner. Something had been on her mind for a while now and she needed to talk to him about it. _Not here though, not now. _She thought. She wouldn't let something quite so personal disrupt her job.

"Tony?" She finally managed to get the courage to speak up.

"Yeah Zi? He noticed her hesitation. _Very unusual for the fearless ninja. What could be making her nervous?_

"Are you doing anything after work tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm pretty booked but, I suppose I could squeeze you in." He joked. Ziva saw the glint in his eyes that said he was just messing with her and didn't actually have any plans. "Why?"

"I was just thinking we could have a movie night. We haven't done that in a while." _Not since I met Ray._

Tony knew exactly what she was thinking. He figured she wanted to get back to how things were before she met C. now that he's out of the picture. "Sure, my place or yours?"

Ziva smiled at that. She missed spending time with Tony outside of work. They used to be best friends, always hanging out. Movie nights, basketball games, everything. When she started dating Ray, it drove a wedge between them. Ray didn't like all the time she spent with him when they first started dating, so she's been shying away from plans with Tony for a while now. Since Ray was gone and never coming back she was glad to be getting her friend back. "My house, around seven?"

"Sounds good. I'll bring a pizza." At this they both smiled inwardly and went back to their lunch.

Getting home from work the next day Ziva was just a bit nervous. _Why should I be nervous? It's just Tony. Goofy, dorky, movie-quoting, funny Tony. Why am I so worried? _She thought. _Oh, that's right. I'm worried because I have to talk to him about something other than work, something that could potentially change our relationship. I have to re-bring-up something my horrible ex-boyfriend said almost a year ago._

Shaking off her thoughts about how uncomfortable that conversation would be, Ziva changed into yoga pants and an NCIS t-shirt. She wanted to think this was just like any other casual movie night they'd had before. Kneeling down next to her TV she searched through her small movie collection for something to watch. She wanted something they hadn't seen before that could hold their attention away from conversation, and also funny that would keep the mood lighthearted that wouldn't make things worse if what she wanted to say didn't go as she so desperately wished it would. _The Avengers, perfect._

Taking it out of its brand new case she placed the DVD in the player. Just as she threw away the packaging she heard a knock at the door. _6:54, perfect timing. _

"Be right there." She called out to Tony from her kitchen as she made her way across the apartment.

Ziva pulled the door open to see him leaning against the wall across the hallway in an OSU shirt and jeans with a pizza box in his hands. Ziva was suddenly very glad she chose to change into to something more comfortable before he came.

"Hey." Tony greeted as he straightened up from his position on the wall.

"Hi Tony." She said moving out of the way to let him in.

Tony went straight to the lounge and put the pizza down on the coffee table, knowing his way around her house after spending so much time here. Not that he'd been around lately though. With Ray coming and going, Tony only got to hang out with Ziva when he was away. "What movie are we watching tonight?" He asked.

"Avengers, you haven't seen it yet have you?" Ziva said handing him a beer as she walked back from the kitchen with two plates in her hand. Putting them on the coffee table she sat down next to him on the couch. She smiled to herself when she opened the pizza box. Peppers and mushrooms. He knew what she liked without having to be told AND he got her favorite instead of his. Small things like that made her so happy to have him in her life as a friend, or maybe something more. _No stop daydreaming, you know he doesn't want that. I mean he's had so many chances to do something about their relationship, but every time they get close he hides behind the boundaries that we set up over the years. He has to know how I feel about him, right?_

She put some pizza on each plate and handed one to him. "Yeah, last week, but it's really good. I don't mind watching it again." Tony replied. _So much for a distraction. _Ziva just nodded and pressed play.

They sat in companionable silence as the ate their pizza and watched the movie. They were so absorbed in the movie that Ziva almost forgot what she wanted to talk to him about. That is until halfway through the movie when Tony out his arm behind her on the couch and she automatically leant into his side. Ziva was surprised at how natural it felt, being like this with him. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her head she sat up and paused the movie.

_Did I do something wrong? _Tony wondered. _Dammit, I shouldn't have put my arm around her. I couldn't help it though. It felt so perfect, so right. _Tony looked up at her wondering what she would do. His expression turned from one of confusion to worry when he saw the sad, troubled look in her eyes.

"Zi, what is it?" He asked putting his hand over hers, trying to comfort her.

"I- I need to talk to you about something. I know this happened a long, long time ago, and I don't know why I feel like I should be bringing this up, but do you remember when Ray helped NCIS on the Port-to-Port killer case?" She said unsurely staring at their hands.

"Yeah, why?" he was truly lost as to where she was headed with this.

"Um, and you know that night after EJ left again for the last time and Ray finally called?"

"Uh huh…"

"Well that night when I was talking to him he told me something, something he said to you when he was acting as liaison for the CIA" she stalled, trying to find the right words.

"What did he say?" Tony prompted.

"_Hey Ziva, are you busy?" Ray asked when she picked up the phone._

"_Um, no I can talk. You have clearly been busy though. I haven't spoken to you in weeks." Ziva said in a tone that wasn't harsh despite the disappointment hidden in her words._

"_I know baby, I'm really sorry about that, but I'm free now so let's just put that behind us. So what are you up to?" He said trying to push the conversation in a different direction from where it was going._

"_I was just talking to Tony, might go out for post-case drink later. You remember him, yes?" She went along with what he was doing, she didn't want another argument about how they were constantly apart either._

"_Um, Tony the brotherly one you were really close with, I remember him." Ray's tone made it obvious he wasn't pleased about them going out for drinks together._

"_Brotherly, no, but we are really close. You might be thinking of McGee. Nerdy, good with computers?" Ziva didn't know what made him think she saw Tony as a brother._

"_No, Tony is the one who's really into movies right? Yeah, I talked to him when I worked with you guys. Told him about how you thought of him as more of a brother and I didn't want you're friendship to interfere with us." Ray explained._

"I remember that conversation. He and you must have a lot in common considering we had that little conversation in the men's room." Tony said.

Ziva smirked a bit at that before continuing on with what she was trying to get at. "He lied you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"I never- I didn't say you are like a brother to me. That would have been a lie. I just thought you should know that." Ziva looked away as she said the last sentence. Reaching for the remote she hoped he would let her get away with not confronting the obvious. She couldn't get so lucky though. He gently caught her wrist and brought it back to her lap, dropping it there.

"Good, because you are definitely not like a sister to me at all. You are so much more than that." He admitted looking directly into her eyes as he did.

"Then what are we?" She needed that closure, that confirmation that this was real.

He took a deep breath before answering. "Mentally I suppose we have been together for years now, but never said it out loud. Even when we were dating other people."

Ziva stared at him deeply before smiling. "Anthony DiNozzo Jr., Is this your way of asking a girl out?" she said, happy that the hard part was over. Tony grinned at that.

"No," He said kneeling down in front of her, "this is." He enveloped both of her hands in his larger ones and smiled gently at her. "Ziva David, will you be my girlfriend?"

He didn't receive a reply, not in words anyways. Instead she leant forward and softly captured his lips in hers. It stayed tender and loving as they both smiled into the kiss. At this moment they both thought the same exact thing. _Finally._


End file.
